For the fourth time this year — and the sixth time since 2011 — Washington and Oakland have consummated a trade. This time, it’s 2013 Minor League Player of the Year Billy Burns headed for the Left Coast in favor of lefthanded reliever Jerry Blevins.

It’s hardly been a secret that the Nats have been pursuing a major-league southpaw for more than a year now, signing the likes of Fernando Abad and Bobby Bramhall last offseason, trading for and promoting Ian Krol, and claiming Xavier Cedeno and Tyler Robertson on waivers during the season. Only Cedeno and Robertson remain from that quintet (sextet, if you want to include the midseason dalliance with J.C. Romero).

As is common with Rizzo trades, Blevins remains under team control for another two seasons — like Doug Fister, who was acquired less than three weeks ago, he’s arbitration-eligible — as the A’s seemed willing to part with the 30-y.o. veteran as a cost-savings measure, despite having made 281 appearances over the past seven seasons for Oakland.

While it may appear that Rizzo has gotten his man, I wouldn’t rule out Washington acquiring one or more southpaws in tomorrow’s Rule 5 draft (don’t forget the PTBNL in the David DeJesus flip was a LHP), even if neither Matt Grace nor Danny Rosenbaum are taken.

Nieto is gone. Six can bury him for a season
On bench. Sad team with long rebuild
Open door for Craig Manuel who can flat out catch
A staff
Time will tell
Would have been nice for Nieto to back up
on goon squad down the road
Maybe this means Manuel at burg
Severino at Potnats
If healthy Kieboom at hags with
The German lefty swinger ???

Man, I’m disappointed to see Burns go. He was my favorite of a thoroughly underwhelming crop of minor league bats. But he’s basically Beane’s prototypical player. Hope he continues to do well and exceed expectations (except against us).